Churchills 'High Cabal and Pakistans elite

Comparisons are sometimes odious, but sometimes necessary, especially in the suffocating political environment prevailing in Pakistan today, and if one happens to be going through an interesting book The Secret Team by Colonel Fletcher Prouty. In his book, Prouty, briefing officer of the US President from 1955-63, narrates a remarkable incident in which Winston Churchill made a most revealing utterance during World War II. He writes: On this particular night there had been a heavy raid on Rotterdam. He sat there, meditating, and then, as if to himself, he said: 'Unrestricted submarine warfare, unrestricted air bombing - this is total war. He continued sitting there, gazing at a large map, and then said: Time and the Ocean and some guiding star and 'High Cabal have made us what we are. Prouty adds: This was a most memorable scene and a revelation of reality that is infrequent, at best. If for the great Winston Churchill, there is a 'High Cabal that has made us what we are, our definition is complete. Who could now better than Churchill himself during the darkest days of World War II, that there exists, beyond doubt, an international 'High Cabal? This was true then. It is true today, especially in these times of the 'One World Order. This all-powerful group has remained superior because it had learned the value of anonymity. This 'High Cabal is the 'One World Cabal of today, also called the elite by various writers. Also, in the book titled Whos Who of the Elite, Robert Gaylon Ross Sr. writes: It is my opinion that the elite own the US military, NATO, the Secret Service, the CIA, the Supreme Court, and many of the lower courts. They appear to control, either directly or indirectly, most of the state, county, and local law enforcement agencies. The elite is intent on conquering the world through the use of the abilities of the people of the US. It was as far back as 1774 that Mayer Amschel Rothschild stated at a gathering of the 12 richest men of Prussia in Frankfurt: 'War should be directed so that the nations on both sides should be further in our debt. In this context, I made a comparison between the 'One World Cabal of today led by the West and the sad saga of the Pakistani elite. It seems that after six decades of our independence in 1947, the Pakistani cabal has sunk deeper and deeper into the mire of self-interest without defining our national goals and priorities. Quaids Pakistan was dismembered in 1971. Then, despite having the 1973 Constitution, the British parliamentary democracy has not taken root; we have a sham Parliament and our political parties are based on dynastic and tribal traditions, rather than electoral norms. Our elite hate to pay taxes and abide by the laws of the country. Our judiciary has never been allowed to function as an independent organ of the state, as in other democratic countries of the world. Similarly, our 'High Cabal, or the elite, insists on getting treatment as a sacred cow immune from any accountability. The worst is that they lack the basic vision to put their heads together and ponder over the internal and external challenges, which are threatening the existence of the state. As a contrast, the 'High Cabal of the West represented by men like Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger had a clear vision of the new world order. In 1997, Brzezinski in his book, The Grand Chessboard, wrote: It is on the globes most important playing field - Eurasia - that a potential rival to America might at some point arise. This focusing on the key players and properly assessing the terrain has to be a point of departure for the formulation of American geostrategy for the long-term management of Americas Eurasian geopolitical interests..This huge region, torn by volatile hatreds and surrounded by competing powerful neighbours, is likely to be a major battlefield.A possible challenge to American primacy from Islamic fundamentalism could be part of the problem of this unstable region. Therefore, it is well advised that the ruling elite and the opposition (especially, the top leadership of PPP and PML-N - a part of the Pakistani cabal) exercise restraint and demonstrate tolerance towards opposing viewpoints in the larger interest of the state. Any internal dissensions at this critical point of time may cause irreparable damage to the present democratic setup and Pakistans security. n The writer is President, Pakistan National Forum.